Businesses Integrate Philanthropy into Corporate Strategy

Online, February 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - International Corporate Philanthropy Day (ICPD) falls annually on the 4th Monday of February. The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) leads the international advocacy day intended to inspire businesses around the world to engage further in community partnerships.

CECP reported in Giving in Numbers 2010 that while a majority of companies gave less in 2009 than in 2008, aggregate total giving rose 7% as some companies gave a lot more than previously, in spite of current economic conditions. However, in the U.S., Giving USA 2010 reports that only 4% of all charitable donations come from corporations as compared to 75% from individuals. ICPD brings focused attention to the role of business in society through its call to action encouraging more companies to be engaged in philanthropy.

"Most successful and socially concerned companies are thinking about their community partnerships year round. Business giving essentially brings awareness and resources to the causes they care about, while increasing the company's reputational capital," says Susan Hyatt, M.S., author of Strategy for Good: Business Giving Strategies for the 21st Century. "Even more importantly, because dollars are tight, many companies are using very creative and new strategic approaches to leverage good for their nonprofit partnerships. Gone are the days of rubber-chicken dinner fundraisers."

Business giving is not just for the Fortune 500. Small businesses with fewer than 500 employees make up the majority of companies in the United States. These small companies can make a big impact by being strategic about their partnerships and how they contribute to local communities.

"Smaller companies don't need to compare themselves with the Targets or Starbucks of the world and their large scale philanthropic efforts. Each smaller business has their own unique ways to make a real difference even without a large giving budget," says Hyatt. Many companies often forget about their extended resources which go beyond dollars to share with their community partners and include employee volunteer hours, products and services, their business networks, and much needed business skills.

The International Corporate Philanthropy Day, which falls this year on February 28, was created to bring awareness and advocacy to corporations and to inspire businesses to think about their impact in a different way. In today's economic climate, utilizing nonprofit partnerships in creative win-win ways can be the turning point for success.

In Hyatt's book Strategy for Good, she advocates that businesses be heartfelt, smart and strategic. She states that companies can not only "do good" through their community partnerships but also "do well" due to increased exposure, brand loyalty, and employee satisfaction.